eNews: Sony Ends 20p eBook Promotion in UK; DA VINCI CODE eBook Free for a Week; And More

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Sony's 20p discounted price on select ebooks, a promotion that lasted for more than eight months, has ended after the company redesigned its ebookstore. In a statement to the Bookseller Sony said "Discounted 20p pricing is not currently offered on the newly relaunched UK Reader Store. However, pricing is always subject to revision. The duration of our 20p pricing is indicative of our commitment to provide great e-books at exceptionally accessible prices, which is a philosophy we continue to hold."

Now that the steep discount on books such as Yann Martel's LIFE OF PI and John Lanchester's CAPITAL (and earlier, novels by Alan Hollinghurst, Peter James, and Ken Follett) no longer applies, Amazon and other e-tailers are raising prices on these books, too. LIFE OF PI is now priced at £3.47 at Amazon (£5.49 in the Sony store), while CAPITAL moved up to £3.66 in the Kindle Store.

Starting Monday, the digital edition of Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE is free to download at all ebook retailers through March 24 (Kobo and BN.com made the free edition live Sunday night, while Amazon followed suit hours later.) This particular ebook edition, which Doubleday said it's issuing for the book's 10th anniversary, also includes the prologue and first chapter of Brown's upcoming novel INFERNO, which will be published on May 14. The prologue and first chapter will also be serialized in the UK by the Daily Mail.

HMH is partnering with Kno's digital learning platform to make available interactive K-12 curriculum materials to US schools. The enhanced K-12 content, available on all major platforms, includes eTextbook searching; highlighting, note-taking and digital journal abilities; automatic flashcards and an interactive glossary; interactive videos; and social sharing. "As one of the world’s leading learning companies, our goal is to provide students and teachers with quality, interactive content wherever and whenever they learn, and no matter which device they use,” said evp, alliances and services for HMH Tim Cannon in a statement. "By extending our current parent-focused partnership with Kno into the institutional market, schools and districts will now have access to trusted HMH core curriculum, enhanced by Kno’s unique interactive and social features."